Instant Messaging Implications in the Transition from a Private Consumer Activity to a Communication Tool for Business

Used to communicate important information and provide contact outside of lectures to great effect, email has emerged as the communication medium of choice. However, Instant Messaging is fast emerging as a favourable world-wide method of communication with its interactive nature and appealing user interfaces. However, can it be as effective within the organisation and more importantly the university as the now established email? This research paper will explore how Instant Messaging is advancing from a private consumer activity to a tool capable of improving communication within the university and organisations. Through the development of a controlled experiment the paper examines the way in which Instant Messaging is being adopted and how it compares to other forms of communication, including its associated interrupt recovery time. The paper also looks at the extent of disruption that Instant Messaging has on users and how users reacted differently to new messages via different notification settings.